Winning Campaigns!

Using real-time media to sway opinion 

I love this! The next time your boss, investor, parent, etc. questions the power of social media, show them this cartoon (then cooly spin around and walk away with a little extra swag).

Power to the People

It's time for marketing to get real(time)

 Millions of dollars are spent creating and maintaining a perfect brand. Like Andre Agassi used to say: “Image is everything.” But in our always-on, easily-connected, real-time media world, perfection doesn’t fly. Nowadays, the public’s BS meter is so fine-tuned that perfection registers as fraud. It’s time to lose the wig!

 Real-time marketing must take chances—or at least feel like it is. As soon as companies resort to corporate speak (dynamic! innovative!), most people tune out. And after months of stagnant audience growth or no obvious sales boost, many firms simply stop social marketing efforts all together. This is shortsighted, wrong and dangerous. Traditional marketing’s power is waning.

The Yelp Effect
We’ve evolved into a world where a positive review from one unpaid online influencer is worth more than a million-dollar traditional ad-spend.

Many smart companies are aware of this. For example, Microsoft feeds early information to people they’ve identified as influencers. In turn, these people spread the word through their network.

Establishing these strong, trusted relationships requires hard work and risk—something real-time media lends itself to and traditional marketing simply doesn’t. There’s no conversation with traditional and without conversation, there’s no relationship.

Like inbound marketing guru Seth Godin says, you can no longer market to the anonymous masses. You can only market to willing participants. Make real connections and it’s fairly simple: Because of the networking effect, if you find ten people who love, trust and respect you--you’ve won.

Your idea spreads faster than you could ever imagine, and best of all they WANT to hear from you. You’ve become indispensable—every marketer’s dream.

Pobody’s Nerfect
To have the best shot, hire smart people to run your real-time marketing program and then get out of the way. Let them bring humanity to the work. Will there be mistakes? Absolutely. Not everyone will have positive things to say about you or your product. And…that’s…OK. (Thanks, Stuart Smalley!)

Think about the people you enjoy being around in your life. Is it the fake people? Those who claim to be perfect? No, of course not--you respect and build relationships with the honest ones.

Bring something real and we’ll tell you why your product, service, message, etc. does or doesn’t work. Let us fall in love with you and we’ll shout it to the world!

Fiscal conservatives owe US a shot

It’s easy to be fiscally conservative once you’ve made it. Why take on debt when you’re already flush with cash? But in order to acheive wealth, most people had to take on debt/fiscal risk at some point--Donald Trump’s companies have claimed bankruptcy 4 times.

Don’t get me wrong--I salute anyone who’s got the courage and smarts it takes to build a successful business and a comfortable life. And I get why, once you’ve made it, you’d want your government to spend conservatively. Slow growth suits you just fine. But for those who are just scraping by (and a lot of people currently fall into this category), austerity does zero good.

Besides, financial success creates more conservatives; they should be happy to give others a shot at it. But if for no other reason, conservatives should remember: they needed help once too. 

Oreo's Real-Time Ad Victory

The Harbaugh brothers weren’t the only ones game planning during last night’s Super Bowl.

At an event where companies spend millions on adverstising, Oreo’s ad agency, 360i, scored a marketing touchdown for much, much less money.

While you were re-upping on chicken wings during the blackout, Oreo blasted out a clever tweet:

Power out? No problem. ‪pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

Timely, funny and memorable, the ad reminded viewers “you can still dunk in the dark” and swept across the Twittersphere like a sun flare. It was retweeted over 15,000 times and people are still talking about it today.

If such a thing existed, the team at 360i would have received the game’s Advertising MVP award. The only flaw I see is not using the #SuperBowl hashtag, which would have boosted its inital audience. 

So how did a 100-year-old cookie company create the most innovative marketing feat of the Super Bowl?

360i’s president, Sarah Hofstetter, told BuzzFeed that, along with Oreo’s brand team, they had a mission control set up at their office during the game in case an advertising opportunity arose. When the blackout happened, they capitalized.

Without question, other companies should and will start implementing this type of strategy. Done smartly, social marketing and news-jacking creates an experience that all the money in the world can’t buy: a personal connection. 

Déjà vu: Contrarian Investing

It feels like this happened before. It feels like this happened before.

Look out, folks...The market’s booming and it seems like the party will never end. Not even Apple’s 15% plunge could derail this gravy train.

But as we rocket ever closer to all-time highs, it’s important to pump the brakes and glance in the rear view mirror. 

When things seem too good to be true, it’s usually time to sell. And vice-versa.

It was just 17 months ago that I urged people to start buying stocks because sentiment had turned so negative. Since then, the S&P 500 has returned over 27%. 

Of course, trying to guess short-term market direction is a fool’s game. No one except Ms. Cleo can predict the future. But time and time again, having the guts to zig while everyone else zags pays off.

I’m not saying sell everything--this rally may have steam left--but it makes sense to trim back some of your high-flyers and reinvest the cash in more defensive, dividend-payers. 

Or for bolder, bearish investors, take that money and invest in TZA (Direxion Daily Small Cap Bear 3x Shares), a hyper-aggressive, leveraged ETF that can deliver big returns quickly if the market moves down.

Note: TZA should only be used in the short-term and with “play” money. 

NFL Reviewing Brady, but Bill's the Criminal

Instead of reviewing Tom Brady's slide in the AFC championship game this past Sunday--Tommy made a kicking motion as Ed Reed came in for the tackle--the NFL is overlooking the game's most egregious offense:  Bill Belichick's coaching performance.

Bill, who's brilliance typically buys the Pats a few points per game, put together one of his all-time worst performances.

For starters, Bill owns the most prolific offense in football, guided by the league's most consistent QB, yet decided to punt from the Baltimore 34, 35 and 42-yard line. He was playing scared.

On top of this, he acted like a baby and refused to talk to reporters after the game. Scared and childish...not qualities we look for in elite coaches.

Listen, there's no one I'd rather have coaching my football team, but Bill's performance in the past few BIG games has been embarrassing.

Obama's Call to Action

Now it’s time to finish what we started – let’s get going.

High-stepping into his second term, President Obama offers a challenge to America’s compatriots: come together and serve. 

Blaming our inept Congress for all life's ills has turned into a national pastime. But is Congress really what’s holding this country back? The president knows if we truly want change, it’s up to us to get it done.

And as Warren Buffett sagely pointed out on CBS’s Sunday Morning show, “What is right about America just totally dwarfs what’s wrong with Washington. 535 people are not going to mess up 315 million over time. I know it.”

That's not to say positive change comes easy, there's a reason Obama said “We, the people” five different times in his inaugural speech. Meeting our challenges will require the best of all us, 315 million people working together. 

This is our journey, our time. Let’s not waste it.

For those needing a nudge, Serve.gov is a great place to start. 

Stay Revelant with Online Education

The Internet makes it easier than ever to teach yourself a new skill. And best of all, it's usually FREE! With unemployment still uncomfortably high, especially among recent grads, it's negligent not to take advantage of this.

Find a topic that interests you or that smart people, like Seth Godin, recommend. A number of sites provide quality education on a broad range of topics. Even Harvard and MIT have joined forces and are at the forefront of delivering FREE online education.  Hang out with ivory tower scholars from the comfort of your couch!

For those who are tech challenged, I recommend W3 Schools to learn web development technologies. They offer easy-to-follow tutorials on HTML, Java, SQL and more. You can practice as often as you'd like and they have quick reference guides available too.

Learn something new and use it, use it and then use it more. Keeping your skills fresh is hugely important. If you lack the confidence to use them in the real world, you're wasting your time.

Get out there and have fun with it. Surprise yourself and stay relevant.

Avoid this email marketing miscue

When creating design and copy for email campaigns, remember that Gmail won’t initially display images (the user must manually change settings).

So while art typically leads the digital marketing dance, it’s essential to have killer copy at the top of the email.

With so many Gmailers out there, it’s important to test what your content will look like display-less.  Otherwise, you'll be deleted before you can say "call-to-action."

My bad...

Watching John Edwards deliver his phew...no jail for me speech, I felt compassion for the guy.

He was coming clean, taking all responsibility and acknowledging the hurt he caused to those who love(d) him. Johnny's only human after all. Haven't we all sinned? No sympathy for the devil?

For a few moments, I fell for the con. And of course that's the danger with crooked politicians, or anyone else skilled at the art of BS.

Words can be powerful, but ultimately it's about what you do. And Johnny is...

First Go 'Round w/ a CSA

We're excited about our first summer doing Community Supported Agriculture. We linked up with Lindentree Farm out of Lincoln, MA. Their vegetables and fruit are all organic and the owners have been at it for 22 years.

With a CSA, you pay for a share at the beginning of the season. It works out to be about the same amount we'd be spending on fruits and vegetables for the summer, but with the added benefit of  knowing where our food is coming from. And they deliver our share to the rad folks at Clover in Inman Square--so we only have to walk a couple blocks to pick it up.

Fun orienation at the farm on Sunday:

Blondie with heavy machinery

Blondie with the chicks

God's Pulling for Obama

If this extraordinarily mild winter tells us anything, it's that God wants President Obama to win the 2012 election. Hyper-religious right-wingers continually point to natural disasters as being an indictment of America's moral decline. So this cheerful winter must have them really nervous: obviously it's a ringing endorsement for Obama from the Big Guy in the sky.

God's well aware of the number one issue for voters: the economy. Always has been and always will be. A mild winter inflates GDP, inspiring consumer and business confidence. Here's what Raymond James economist Scott J. Brown, Ph.D. had to say:

"...an unusually mild winter appears to have had a significant impact [on econonomic growth]...boosting motor vehicle sales, construction activity and employment."


Oddly, Brown doesn't mention God in his commentary. But he doesn't have to. We know who's really behind this blessed winter.

Before you dems pop the champagne, realize the election's still eight months away. There's still time for religious conservatives to pray extra hard and put pressure on God to drum up  some last-minute atmospheric mayhem. (Pat Robertson not included, of course, since God already told him that Obama would lose the election).

Hey, Executives: This Occupy Thing Ain't Over...

Winter's blustery chill may have sent those Wookie Occupiers into hibernation, but just as the dingy turnip lies dormant only to re-emerge bright and ripe in the spring, so to will this Crusade Against Greed.

Executives: will you reign in your compensation packages before it's too late?

No, of course not. If we believe that the powerful will admit to and change the errors of their ways, then we deceive ourselves. And experience has taught us that government can't solve this problem because politicians have become pawns of the elite.

Most people know what needs to be changed, even if they're unsure about how to get it done. Ultimately this means revolting, by all means necessary, against the perceived problem. Good luck this spring, kids!

Baaaahh....

The market's volatility reminds me of a recent post I made about the need to have a contrarian perspective. Please, I beg you, stop following the herd. It's a loser's mentality and will cost you a lot of money and stress. Now is the time to buy under-valued equities. If Warren Buffett and other insiders are doing it, I'd say it's solid move.

The more the market tanks, the more you should load up. It takes guts, but it's how you make money. Leave the sheep behind.

Chopping Trees and Winning Cups

Don't these Stanley Cup Finals feel like the script for Rocky IV?

The Ivan Drago Canucks are freakishly engineered (see H. Sedin's forehead) and capable of playing at a superhuman level.  Meanwhile, the Rocky Balboa Bruins use a spartan approach and sweat for any advantage.  Can’t you see Shawn Thorton leading his team’s training between games—chopping down trees and throwing logs.

The most obvious metaphor came in game 3, when Aaron Rome blindsided Nathan Horton with a vicious hit. Horton layed on the ice in La La Land, like Apollo on the mat. Aaron "Drago" Rome made it more infuriating by showing little remorse...saying he’d hit him the same way again. 

"If he dies, he dies."

Inspired to avenge Nathan "Apollo" Horton, the Bruins have been playing fearless hockey--finally landing a booming upper-cut in the second period of game 3. The Canucks were human and the B's started to believe they could win.

Game 7 will be in Vancouver tomorrow night. If the Bruins can deliver one more visceral performance, I can see the home crowd turning on their team and starting a “USA! USA! USA!” chant. As the final seconds wind down, the Canadian crowd will rush the ice and lift Tim Thomas, draped in an American flag, onto their shoulders. (Just don’t expect Timmy to deliver Rocky’s post-fight “mutual admiration” speech).   

The fantastical dream then cuts to our heroes taking a Duck Boat trip around Boston and ends with Brigitte Nielsen marrying Brad Marchand in The Common. 

Just Do It

"Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future."  Fulton Oursler


Dreams discredited and opportunities lost...procrastination kills. Look at any successful person and you'll find they never wait; they act. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter.

Just ask John Kerry; his knack for debating a decision to death cost him the 2004 presidential election to Bush. 

Bold deciders win elections, get things done, and get re-elected. Obama authorizing an unprecedented mission--covertly flying Navy SEALs into Pakistan and terminating America's Most Hated--will go a long way in his re-election campaign.

Tackling the largest problems reaps the biggest rewards. Be bold and unwavering. Many things in our world appear hopeless and unfixable. This is when deciders prosper. Successful or not, those who push for positive change gain respect.

Jump off your crucifix and do it now. Obey The Swoosh.

Obey...Eat Ice Cream (and Recycle)

I snapped this photo after a recent lunch in Cambridge, MA

The Sinking Working Class

The income gap between the very rich and poor has grown to staggering proportions. In fact, it’s recently been declared the eighth wonder of the world. The average worker is treading water and quickly losing breath. 

The top 20% of earners received 49.4% of all income, while the bottom 20% earned 3.4%. That 14.5-to-1 ratio has nearly doubled since 1968 when it was 7.69-to-1 (According to the 2010 US Census).

And executive pay continues to rise, while the average worker's compensation stagnates. What's worse is most corporations are expanding their cash coffers, but not their employment base. Take a look at this useful indicator of employment health, the employment-population chart:

You see no uptick in private sector jobs since the recession ended. Ah...but an uptick in executive pay, yes. Because expanding profits is how executives rationalize their pay bumps. And as long as the unemployment rate remains high, corporations can continue to underpay employees--who should feel lucky just to have a job.

Beyond the ugly employment picture, a few other dark clouds lurk on the average worker's horizon:

• State and federal budget crises
• Inflation
• Baby-boomers retiring and the social security shortfall

We need to reign in executive pay and increase the wages of the common worker before the situation explodes into a crisis. (Think Arab Spring). Also, eliminating the tax break for the wealthiest Americans would be another helpful step (but that's for another post).

THIS IS NOT SOCIALISM. It’s simply doing what’s right—for working class families and the future stability of our country.

6/20/2011 UPDATE: READ BILL CLINTON'S THOUGHTS ON THIS

Powder Dreams

Winter's first snow has blanketed Massachusetts. The cold slows most, but incites some.

Jetting out to Utah for a week on Friday. I hope it's this deep...

The Blogger tasting Utah fresh.
Photo by David Stevens

Until then, videos.

Viva Banana Derby!

Bobo bounces up and down on the back of his Golden Retriever. This crazed capuchin monkey wants us fired up for his big race. We oblige, cheering wildly. I turn to give Erin an awkward, white guy high-five and Zaaahhh...Shit!

My tongue's burned by the scorching hot peanuts from my deep fried Snickers. A fast gulp of my frozen margarita extinguishes the fire and I’m hooting again.

Two monkeys will soon be competing in a pseudo horse race, jockeying on the backs of dogs. It’s the Banana Derby…and right now, it seems perfectly normal.

I’ve been in the Vegas mix for seventy-two hours and my mind has adjusted to the sensory firestorm. This town is intent on obliterating the line between reality and fantasy—clocks don’t exist, public intoxication is encouraged, and Roman emperors reign.

All hail the Blogger!

But tributaries of reality do seep into the fantastical flood.

Today starts, like so many in Vegas, with a very real hangover and a Bloody Mary. I stumble out of my room and wander through the thousand-mile stares of slot machine zombies.

After some stumbling around, our group meets at The Mermaid Bar in the Silverton Casino. Another round of to-go Bloodies are ordered, and we file onto the waiting limo.

It's a one-drink trip to Lake Meade where a fully staffed yacht picks us up for a five-hour tour.

The first stop is for a picture near Hoover Dam. I didn’t even realize we we're on the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam. Christ, even the lakes are fake here. It doesn’t look as impressive on this side of the dam; the towering wall of earth and concrete is on the other side.

“Can we get any closer,” I ask. 

“Only if you want to get shot at,” replies the captain.

Federal agents patrol the dam to thwart any potential terrorist attack. They will fire warning shots if you get too close.

A terrorist threat?

That’s a dope slap of reality. But not to worry, fantasy is still running this boat. Actually, this guy is...

Seriously.

Predictably, after an hour of apps and more drinks, a whipped cream and champagne fight erupts in the hot tub. A bit of bubbly stings my eye, so I jump out of the cream puff war to clean my face and notice the bartender in the background. She thinks no one is watching and I see a slight frown, a moment of introspection. This is her job. I wonder if she’s married. Does she have kids?

As I contemplate going to talk to her, the crew opens the two-story high waterslide off the back of the boat and I make a run for it. It’s a slick ride down and I'm the first to splash into the manmade lake. The water delivers a sobering jolt.

Doing my best doggie paddle, I get back and jump aboard. Everyone else splashes in the water, but I retreat into a towel and walk along the rail of the bottom deck.

The sun’s dropping and the horizon’s a pastel gradient of purple and pink. The vast, barren landscape may as well be Mars to this son of New England. It’s quiet. 

The yacht engines fire back up and wake me from my daydream.

Back on terra firma, we pile into the limo bus and an impromptu dance party erupts as we hurtle down Interstate 215. A quick pump of the brakes would produce a few broken limbs of reality. Fortunately, it’s a smooth ride and we’re flying high, like a G-6. The limo drops us off from our million-dollar yacht day to a five-dollar carnival night in the Silverton Casino parking lot. Nobody’s wearing white.

Fair Enough.

We’re not here to barf on The Zipper or stab anyone. We want the Banana Derby.

Bobo, the star monkey, is leashed by a heavy chain. This bothers me. And apparently, I'm not alone.

The Derby owner parades Bobo around while rattling off information and jokes with the speed of a country auctioneer... We hear about the first time he discovered Bobo riding the family dog and how capuchin monkeys live almost twice as long in captivity than in the wild (as long as they don’t drink or smoke...yuck, yuck). I aggressively slug off my margarita now. Ahhh…fan-ta-seeeeee.

30 minutes of build up for a 2-minute dog race. Shockingly, Bobo wins.

Like everything else in this town, it was rigged. And I can’t wait to come back.